Self-employed as a commercial and advertising artist, Larry Griffeth has been involved with photography for quite some time.

Although Griffeth admits to not considering himself an artist until “later in life,” he recently submitted pieces of his work for the Gainesville Bus Shelter Art Project. Two of them were chosen.

The Bus Shelter Art Project is the installation of 15 pieces of art on bus shelters in the community by the city of Gainesville and Vision 2030 of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce with help from the Quinlan Visual Arts Center.

“Art was selected in order to introduce artistic works which build on the Gainesville Connection brand of connecting people to family, friends, recreation, business, government, education, retail, nonprofits and places of importance,” according to a Quinlan news release. “Thematically and visually, works are focused on the connectivity of people to the community.”

“I was fortunate to be asked to submit something, more fortunate that they decided a couple of them were worthy,” Griffeth said.

He explained he is probably “bad about being more of a technical photographer than being extremely artistic.”

However, he said his art has evolved in the past 20 years. And it is evident in his two selected pieces for the Bus Shelter Art Project.

Griffeth said his first photograph was commissioned for the Project 2030 Public Art Program as a cover to go on a brochure to publicize the map and show what public art is available around the community. Therefore, he had to “come up with something a little different for those, a lot of color and all.”

For the second photo, Griffeth was in the right place at the right time.

“I was actually on the way to Home Depot and I noticed the clouds going up toward the sunset and I just happened to have my camera with me,” Griffeth said. “So I stopped and waited 30 or 45 minutes probably on that sunset to develop and it turned into quite a spectacle.

“I was fortunate that a boat just happen to come by right at the right time to add something to the photograph.”

Griffeth said he’s used to seeing his work published with his current occupation, but he was glad to have those photos selected for the project.

“It’s not very unusual to see it publicized like that, but it’s always good to have something that you pretty much thought for yourself rather than an assigned project or something that’s strictly for commercial get selected,” he said.